Strategist, entrepreneur and commentator Craig Coogan examines issues with his unique perspective. NOTE: The views expressed in this blog are of the author (Craig Coogan) alone. They do not represent any organization, client, or business that he may be associated with. You are welcome to comment below. Thank you for reading!

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Give me Liberty … or Give me Terror

I recently watched the History Channel’s mini-series “Sons of Liberty.” It’s everything that we’ve come to expect from the cable channel: a
good looking cast, some great battle scenes, fudging of key facts and 21st
century language put into 18th century mouths. I doubt very much
that Benjamin Franklin said of the idea of Independence: “Well, that’s an
absolutely bat-shit crazy idea.” In this telling, the British referred to the
Colonists as terrorists, though the word would not be coined for some thirty
years. Historically accurate? No. Amusing diversion? Yes. Its timing was good
as invoking the terrorist description has become
the de-facto label for evil, even though much of what’s called that today isn’t.

Al Jazeera English’s editor recently had an email leaked.
The communication to reporters and editors at the news network (funded by the
Qatar Government) reminded them to be more careful in the use of all wording,
especially the terms ‘terrorist’ and ‘jihad.’ “One person’s terrorist is another
person’s freedom fighter,” the email said. "Words that have a tendency of
tripping us up. Avoid characterizing people. Often their actions do the work
for the viewer." He’s absolutely right, both politically and journalistically.

In October of 2014 a gunman killed a soldier at Canada’s
national war memorial and then stormed Parliament. In response last week (1/30/15)
Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced new legislation that will further criminalize terrorism, allowing the government to approach
and hold suspects up to five years based on “threats” and allow the state to remove
“objectionable” material from the Internet. "Over the last few years, a
great evil has been descending upon our world, an evil that has been growing
more and more powerful: Violent jihadism," Harper said. The change in the
law comes after one incident that killed one individual.

The U.S. passed and has renewed the Patriot Act in response to the horrible events of 9/11/2001. The law has been blamed for limiting
many freedoms promised under the Constitution, and has been hailed for protecting
the country from further attacks. Local municipalities are now taking the defense against terrorism
one step further.

In New York a pilot program is being launched that equips police
officers with machine guns. The Strategic Response Group will be dedicated to “disorder control and
counterterrorism protection capabilities” against attacks which the NYPD’s
Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence John Miller said was an “inevitability” in
NYC. This new squad will be used to investigate and combat terrorist plots,
lone wolf terrorists, and… protests. “It is designed for dealing with events
like our recent protests,” Bratton said.

Last week a fourth grader in Texas was suspended for making “terrorist
threats” --- suggesting that he had a ring that could make his classmate disappear. According
to Kermit Elementary School officials, 9-year-old Aiden Steward told a
classmate that he possessed a magic ring forged in Mount Doom — a fictional location from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit and
Lord of the Rings series. This absurd response to two kids playing may be an extreme
example – but it exists and the punishment was meted out and the definition of terrorism ever expands.

How many indignities and incidents took place in the 1770’s
until the revolution actually started? Was it the state telling citizens what
they could say, where they could say it and how they could assemble? Patrick
Henry is said to have coined the phrase “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” in 1775 as a
way to get the Virginia House to commit its troops to the Revolutionary War. Such a statement today might well be
labeled a terrorist threat and the speaker subject to arrest. I’m with our
ancestors. Give me liberty.